Just posted a review of Javier’s show at the Tin Angel in Philly - click below to check it out:
That’s right…back by popular demand after a three year hiatus, The Levelheads are blowing the dust off and giving it another go! Actually, I shouldn’t say “blowing the dust off”, because we’re committed to the first time we return to the stage being with a brand new set of material. That doesn’t mean that old favorites won’t pop up from time to time, but that we’re on fire with a bunch of new songs that have been incubating over the years and developed by bits and pieces of the band as we collaborated together. Now we’re working through that music as a group and some great things are happening (the first official LHs rehearsal happened last night and all systems were go) - this is all very exciting as I get back together with probably the most successful band I’ve been in…fantastic stuff!
Depending on how things progress we may turn some of the old band web-presences back on, but until then, know that good things are a-brewin’…we’ll see you out there soon!
Hey all - a few very cool things have happened lately - first, the most interesting is probably the fact that we (as MATTOWAX) just got offered our first publishing deal from a publisher in Germany. We’re still hammering through the details of this arrangement, but so far it looks like they’re interested in a limited license of the track “Most Likely To Succeed” from our latest EP…so things could get interesting pretty soon!
Second, the After School Specialists got together this weekend to watch our movies be screened as a part of the Roslyn Film Festival, part of the revitalization project in Roslyn PA. More than anything, it was a nice evening of watching a bunch of locally produced films with some really nice people, and there was a very cool “small town” feel to the whole thing. But, our film from last year’s 48 Hour Film Festival, “Against The Wind”, probably had its most appreciated showing (lots of laughter and audience reaction - very satisfying!), and we ended up winning a little trophy (yes, a trophy…ha ha) for coming in third place (by audience voting). Very fun.
Finally, we’re still waiting for the EP to be up on iTunes for purchase, but that doesn’t have to be your only option - you can actually get the whole thing for under $4 on Amazon by clicking here. So, although we’ll probably wait until it’s on iTunes to do an official e-mail blast, it’s out there!
Things have been a little crazy ’round these parts lately, so I’ve been late on a few updates. Here’s the scoop:
There were some issues with the pressing of the MATTOWAX EP, but we finally got those ironed out and the CDs should be in-hand this week and off to iTunes and the rest by early next week. Thanks for your patience and interest! For newly remastered sound clips straight from the recording, go to www.mattowax.com/sounds - you will soon be able hear the full tunes at the MATTOWAX myspace page: www.myspace.com/mattowax.
In other news, last night we recorded the first podcast since the arrival of Rocco Marrone - but I didn’t mention on my site the fact that we filled the absence with another “best of” show featuring interviews with Amiina, Schoolly D, and Rage Against The Machine’s Tom Morello - or podcast 43, including an interview with Chris Harding of We The Robots! Click the image below to check it out…
Happy New Year, y’all! I didn’t mention it earlier due to the holiday craziness, but Podcast 41 is up on Used Wigs Radio - and #42 is edited and will be following shortly. P41 is a fun group cast with the usual suspects plus writers Scott Shrake and Jim Gladstone - lots of laughs in this one. Enjoy!
In a reunion of sorts, bass player Jim Smith officially re-entered the fold this past week when he stopped by to lay down some bass tracks for “Legacy”, a song that we used to play with the Levelheads that is being prepared for the second Mattowax EP along with a bunch of other old standards. Oh yeah, as an aside, the first Mattowax EP is still being mixed but is closer than ever to being DONE. In a few weeks we should have samples up on the site and soon after it will be available for purchase and download.
Anyway - back to Jim - this is significant because it’s the first time that the four original Levelheads have worked together on new studio recordings since 2004, and the first time we’ve really played together since a few scattered shows in the summer of 2006. Lots of good things should be happening in the coming months involving these and other musicians, so there’s a lot going on. Thanks for taking the ride with us!
What is Obedia? Well, if you’re a musician and have been doing the digital thing for any length of time, you know how maddening technology issues can be, or what it can be like trying to tweak the technology to get it to do what you want. I’ve spent countless head-scratching hours over the years trying to figure out what these guys seem to know how to do intuitively - so when given the chance to be part of the their affiliate team, I gladly lent my name to the cause! I would only endorse people who are absolute pros and “good folk” - and these guys pass with flying colors. In fact, a testimonial I wrote is right on their home page!
So, for your multimedia and especially audio-based head scratchers, check ‘em out - and tell them who sent you!
That’s right - hot on the heels of the most recent website update, russellstarke.com has taken the plunge and become “blogified”. What does that mean? Well, in addition to it being a heck of a lot easier to update (so expect more frequent posts from now on!), it also means that there are more opportunities for you to interact and leave comments and feedback! Poke around - there’s lots of new material here - and drop a line and say hello!
Yep, after a killer set at the Grape Street in Philadelphia, Michelle Fiore announced that she’s leaving the band to move to Arizona with new hubby Joe. The band will certainly carry on, though we’ll need to rethink things a bit since Michelle was such an integral part of the sound and spirit of the band. Still, we did have a great night and expect to be booking more shows in the near future with various smaller combos of the band as Brian and Todd prepare for fatherhood.
Stay tuned for more news on that front…in the meantime, myself and the band wish her all the best - and I’m quite sure we’ll be seeing her pop up at shows around holiday times when she’s back in town. You haven’t seen the last of her!
We did, however, have a “Last Supper” of sorts at the Manayunk Diner immediately following the show - a picture of the event is captured below for your viewing pleasure (and yes, Ron did actually wear that outfit for the show), complete with “fading-away” Michelle:
